Here's a plot summary of the last three novels and a brief review of
the first. Those avoiding spoilers take note. A plot summary of the
first novel may be added within the next few days. As well a file of
interesting notes from the series may be added soon. Last updated on
September 1, 2006 C.E.

MOON OF THREE RINGS, Andre Norton, Ace, 1966

Free Trader Assistant Cargo Master Krip Vorlund encounters magic and
mystery on the planet of Yiktor. After a day at a trade fair, he and
another Free Trader take in the entertainment of a Thassa beast show.
This is conducted by a woman of exceptional presence, a Moon Singer.

After the show, Krip and his companion are invited back stage. The
Thassa is interested in taking her show to the stars. Then comes word of
a mistreated animal. Krip joins the Moon Singer in effecting its rescue
and is drawn into an adventure.

This is a fine story by a first rate teller of tales, one with a great
love of animals, a keen interest in the occult and a superb skill in
depicting exotic alien worlds with their tapestry of cultures and very
sympathetic individuals.

EXILES OF THE STARS, Andre Norton, Ace 1971.

Krip, Maelin (in glassia animal form) and the captain and cargo master
of the Free Trader Lydis meet privately with some clerics on the 
planet Thoth. A fanatical uprising has prompted established religious
leaders to charter the offworld ship to transport church treasures
(Forerunner remains) to the colony world of Ptah in the same system.

The ship is stranded by sabatoge on a third world in the system. This
uninhabited planet is named Sekhmet. Since the sabatoge was caused by 
one of the artifacts being transported, all are offloaded. There is a
Patrol beacon on the land mass on which the ship landed with damaged
engines. A two person flitter is dispatched to locate it and send a
message as to the stranded nature of the Lydis.

Maelin and Krip stand watch over the offloaded cargo. Contact with the
flitter is lost. A backup plan of jurry rigging further com capacity 
for the ship has already been ongoing since the landing. Maelin and
Krip have psychically sensed something unusual and become alert. They
locate a curious faded inscription at a cave. This inscription seems
to be the shape of a cat, a Terran animal once popular on ships, now
only seen at sector bases.

A Patrol vessel arrives in response to their successful com call. The
Patrol scout takes two free traders to a base. A Patrol flitter takes
telepathic Maelin and Krip hunting for the missing flitter. It's found
deserted. A strange psychic force is encountered. The Lydis falls out
of touch. On return, Krip and the Patrollers become entranced.

Maelin shelters in a crevice, then explores and destroys a mechanical
psychic amplifier at a stass freeze case. Krip, the Patrollers and Free 
Traders awake. A Patrol remote camera shows guildsmen looting the 
buried cargo. Guildsmen destroy the camera. krip receives Maelin's cry
for help. He finds a large hall of stass sleep boxes.

He is detected and captured by a powerful esper using a Free Trader's
body. Krip is used so his body can be used by another. He resists with
full psychic might. Deemed an unsuitable host, he is left tangle bound
in a corridor. Maelin guides him to her. She frees him and they pass
through mind shielded doors.

Maelin's animal body is badly broken in a trapped fall. Krip carries 
her to a stass box. He encounters returned Patrollers and traders. He
alerts them to the esper threat. His captain points out Krip's varying
from Trader behaviour, and agrees to Maelin's rescue. Her retrieved 
body is placed in the Patrol ship's stass unit.

Wearing anti-esper caps, three Patrollers, Captain Foss and Krip move
against the Guild. Encountering deceptive surroundings, discovering a
very impressive Forerunner remains, with difficulty turning away from
the gaze of an alien in stass, they find some of their own in alien
bodies. Krip calms them and encourages them to use those forms.

A firefight ensues; laser shock leaves some human forms unconscious.
Maelin awakened to deal with this situation, first confronts an alien
in stass, enters that body and then helps the human unconscious.

Krip and Maelin decide their share of the find will go to a ship to
carry a travelling animal show amongst the stars. 

FLIGHT IN YIKTOR, Andre Norton, Tor, 1986

Young Farree, a humpback mistreated since early childhood, encounters 
two strangers from space. They soothe him telepathically and buy 
freedom for him and his friend Togger, an abused fighting smux. The 
two from offworld, Rip and Maelin, bring Farree to a hotel. There fed, 
clean and clothed in garments to draw the envy of the slums he's lived 
in since very early memories, he is offered apprenticeship and a chance
to leave Grant's World, obviously not the place of his birth. 

The two offworlders face port delays in preparing from lift oft. Now
Farree returns to the slums investigating Thieves' Guild influence 
for that. Advised Rip and Maelin raise their Far Seeker and fly to
Yiktor. The time approaches for the Moon of Three Rings and Thassa
gather.

Guildsmen have decided to press the Thassa. Farree is captured,
interrogated and escapes, picked up be Rip and Maelin in a damaged
flitter. Farree's earliest pre slum memories begin to stir as his
hump begins to itch. Informed of the powerful weapons at the hands of
the guild, the Thassa are confident to the Farree's amazement.

Exploring hidden mysteries, Farree finds his hump has released wings.
He is a winged being. He and Krip aid Maelin defeat the Guild and put
the past to rest. Thassa leaders uphold Maelin's banishment. Standing
firm beside her is Krip and Farree joins them determined to find his
homeworld.

This is a typically exciting Norton blend of mystery, action, adventure
and the wonder of space.

Dare To Go A-Hunting, Andre Norton, Tor, 1990

This fourth book in the series begins with Farree seeking information 
from the Zacathan hist tech Zoror. The reptilian has records from a 
hundred worlds of winged ones such as Farree, including some from 
distant Terra, a place Farree considers mythological, though the 
Zacathan assures him of it's reality.

Farree excited at scenting wing of his species is shaken to find it is
a fragment listed as contraband spider silk.. They proceed to question 
the merchant who sold it. Farree is enraged to sense more wing 
fragments. The merchant claims these are already bought. Farree and 
his companions track down the buyer, listen in on a secret meeting and
avoid the telepathic scans of those plotting the capture of Farree. 

Farree is yearning to find more about his kind and homeland and there 
are humans wanting to get their hands on the treasure associated in 
legends with Farree's kind. Farree has mentally glimpsed a star chart 
near the fringes of known space. Zoror obtains data from an old probe
of two solar systems with a dozen planets, three of them Arth A type. 
Rip, former Free Trader, selects the one that feels most promising and 
they launch into space.

They land, emerge and try mind reach. Farree flies, feels unremembered
knowledge stir. Mentally he perceives others who distrust him and sever 
his mindlink. Taken, Farree's recollections of the friendship of Krip, 
Maelin and Zoror are not accepted. He escapes. He meets Selrena. She 
believes him and sends him to rescue Atra, prisoner of the Guild. 
Farree is captured by the Guild, tossed into the dome hut holding Atra,
summons his pet smux whose acidic saliva break the bonds and chains 
around him and Atra and helps the weakened Atra gain safety.

There is then a meeting of the elvin kind attended by Krip, Maelin and
Zoror. Maelin is welcomed as kin and Farree learns he is really 
Glasrant, rightful lord of the Langrone people. The elvin are of many 
kinds and all join together to defeat the Guild, Farree playing a major
role in that.

When the elvin complain of their fewness of numbers and the offworld 
rapacity, Zoror assures them that law among the stardwellers will 
protect them. In addition, already he's set up a broadcast to warn off 
any offworld ships as from a planet disease afflicted. They need fear 
none, save those who know arriving, those of good intent.

As Krip, Maelin and Zoror head for the stars, Farree looks into Atra's
welcoming face, the face of the future.      

Michael McKenny, July 14-August 29, 2006 C.E.


Solarguard Andre Norton



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